Construction on Morristown bay bypass begins

MORRISTOWN - Construction on a new road connecting Main and Bay Street, bypassing the Morristown Bay, is underway.

The project, intended to prepare for the day when the bridge currently spanning the bay is closed, is designed to make it possible for emergency vehicles to travel more easily through the village.

Village Superintendent of Public Works Kevin J. Crosby said the bridge may have to be closed in the near future due to structural deficiencies, making travel between Northumberland Street, on the southern side of the bay, and the rest of the village a much longer journey for emergency vehicles.

Currently traveling from the Morristown Volunteer Fire Department to the intersection of Northumberland Street and Bay Street takes two minutes.

If the bridge were to be shut down for safety reasons, the trip would take roughly 12 minutes one way, significantly decreasing the ability of the fire department to respond to emergencies, Mr. Crosby said.

Its 15 miles farther for the fire trucks and ambulances to go, and thats really our biggest reason [for building the bypass], Mr. Crosby said.

Earlier this year the village purchased 130 acres of land for $96,000 that stretches from Bay Street to Main Street.

The property formerly belonged to Craig MacDonald.

Mr. Crosby said the goal is to build a road connecting the end of Bay Street to Main Street across from the Morristown Cemetery.

For now our goal is to make it a dirt road and passable, Mr. Crosby said.

Starting this week the land is being cleared by hand by the village Department of Public Works. Mr. Crosby said the town Highway Department will help out as well.

In order to build the road, Mr. Crosby said, his crew needs to clear a 60-foot pass through the forest that stretches three quarters of a mile. That effort is expected to take two or three weeks.

Mr. Crosby said they will lay the gravel for a dirt road in the spring.

Including the man power, equipment and supplies that the construction of the road will require, Mr. Crosby said, the dirt road could cost up to $500,000.

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